STRANGE HAPPENINGS
by BER13
Summary: Terrible things start happening to the Crochets. Melissa wants to find who or what is doing this to her family. But can she figure it all out before the thing gets her, too?
1. Default Chapter

STRANGE HAPPENINGS  
  
By: BER13  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Melissa Crochet stared out the window of her home. Outside, her sisters Josie and Erica were riding a sled down a snow bank.  
  
"Hey, Melissa," A voice spoke up. Melissa whirled around and saw Callie, her twin, standing in the doorway.  
  
"Oh, hi," Melissa said, hopping onto her bed. She patted a spot next to her, and Callie sat down with a smile. Callie looked out of the window and sighed as she asked, "Why don't we ever play with them?"  
  
"Because we're never been invited," Melissa answered grimly. Callie suddenly hopped up and said, "Let's go for a walk."  
  
"Now?" Melissa said. "With them sledding and us watching?"  
  
"Oh, come on," Callie urged. "Melissa, you've always wanted to stay away from Josie and Erica."  
  
"And Rachel, too," Melissa added, watching as seventeen-year-old Rachel hopped onto the sled. The eighteen-year-old twins smiled and screamed as they tumbled to the ground.  
  
Minutes later, the two sixteen-year-old girls were shuffling through the snow, which was about three inches deep. Melissa saw that house by house, kids were building snowmen, making snow forts, having snowball fights.  
  
"Kind of makes you want to go home and go sledding, doesn't it?" Callie asked quietly. Melissa nodded.  
  
"It's so unfair," Callie went on. "They treat us like babies, don't they? Josie, Erica, Rachel-they're all so 'grown-up' that they don't even notice us."  
  
Melissa wasn't listening. Instead, she was carefully watching a snowball fight in her friend Brittany's yard. Brittany, her sister May, and Callie and Melissa's best friend Judy were laughing and shrieking as one snowball after another flew into the air. As soon as Brittany spotted her friends, she called out, "Guys, come on and join the fun!"  
  
"Want to?" Melissa asked Callie, who shrugged. Both girls ran into the yard and ducked behind a snow shelter with Brittany.  
  
"Are your sisters bugging you again?" Brittany asked. Without waiting for an answer, she poked her head over their shield and aimed a snowball at May. When she sat down again, she looked at Callie and Melissa.  
  
"Yeah," Melissa answered. "They left us out of sledding."  
  
"Too bad," Brittany said, ducking to avoid a snowball that ended up down Callie's shirt. While Callie danced around, trying to get the ball of snow out, Melissa said, "They are so rude. We can never do anything with them."  
  
"Who? Your sisters?" Brittany asked.  
  
"Duh!" Melissa rolled her eyes, jumped up, threw a snowball at Judy, and squatted down.  
  
Brittany's face was pale. Her eyes were huge. She was staring at the ground, her mouth open, as if a giant cockroach was about to climb onto her leg.  
  
"Brittany, what is it?" Melissa asked, looking down. She didn't need an answer to make her cry out like she did.  
  
Callie was laying facedown in the snow, totally lifeless. 


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO  
  
"Callie!" Melissa leaned over her sister. Tears welled in her eyes. Instantly, the snowball fight stopped.  
  
"What happened?" Judy asked as she and May gathered around Callie.  
  
"I-I don't know," Melissa choked out. "Brittany and I were talking while Callie tried to get a snowball out of her shirt. I threw a snowball, and when I ducked down Brittany was staring at Callie."  
  
"Hello? Callie, this isn't a joke, is it?" Brittany shook Callie, but Callie didn't giggle or move.  
  
"I think she's really hurt," May spoke up. Melissa swallowed hard-and noticed something in Callie's hand. Melissa leaned over-and gasped. A long, sharp knife was in Callie's hand.  
  
"It's a knife," Melissa told the others. "Callie's holding a knife."  
  
"But I don't see any blood," May said. Melissa looked at her sister's hand more closely and saw that Callie wasn't holding the knife at all. Her palm was around the handle, but her hand hung loosely.  
  
"She was set up," Melissa announced. "The knife was put there."  
  
"How dumb," Judy remarked. "Why would somebody put a knife in somebody's hand if it doesn't look like the person stabbed the victim?"  
  
"I don't-"Melissa started, but Brittany's shout interrupted her.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Brittany said. "Callie was hurt after all. There's a deep gash in her neck. It's really bad, and she's losing blood fast."  
  
Melissa kneeled down and saw that Brittany was right.  
  
"But how could this happen if you were watching Callie? And I got up and down so fast that this couldn't have happened in second or two."  
  
"Well, I was watching May and Judy, Melissa. And actually, this could have happened quickly. The murderer could have snuck up behind Callie and stabbed her. Then he could run away. See? The knife has blood on it, and the gash is in the back of her neck." Brittany looked down at Callie, but Melissa stood up and told May to go inside and phone the ambulance.  
  
"I'll have to watch Callie, so Brittany, you go to my house and tell Mom and Dad what happened." Melissa looked at her lifeless sister, thinking, Please be okay!  
  
In a few minutes, Brittany was back in the Crochet's car with Mr. and Mrs. Crochet. Callie was loaded into the ambulance, and Melissa climbed into the car with Brittany and her parents.  
  
Melissa sat nervously in the Emergency Room waiting room. She was biting her nails, which she didn't do very often. She wasn't even talking to Brittany, although her best friend was trying to cheer her. It wasn't really working, and Melissa wanted to tell her to be quiet. But even those words would have been too harsh for Brittany.  
  
Suddenly, a doctor with the name Dr. Morris on his name tag stood in front of the room and motioned for the Crochets to follow him. Melissa and Brittany tiptoed side by side, neither of them saying a word. Melissa knew what she would see: Lots of machines, a hospital bed, and her sister.  
  
Melissa was the first one in the room. She took one look at her sister and gasped. Callie's eyes were tiny and red, and a huge mark was where she had been stabbed. Blood machines and other machines were hooked up to Callie's arms, neck, and head.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Melissa asked the doctor. Brittany grasped her friend's hand tightly.  
  
"Well," Dr. Morris replied, "Callie has lost a lot of blood, mostly from her neck. But we also found a very, very, very huge and deep gash in her head, so not only will her neck be in pain, she also suffered memory loss-a bunch of memory, I'm afraid. Sadly, her memory will most likely never come back."  
  
"What do you recommend we do?" Mrs. Crochet asked.  
  
"Talk to her as much as possible," Dr. Morris said. "And she will need to come back once a week for shots."  
  
"Okay," Mrs. Crochet said, taking her daughter's hand. But the doctor put his hand up and said, "Callie will need tests-a lot of them. We recommend that Callie stay overnight in the hospital and be returned to you tomorrow morning."  
  
While Dr. Morris and the Crochets made arrangements, Melissa held Callie's hand and spoke to her softly.  
  
"It'll be okay," Melissa told her sister. "You'll come back tomorrow and we'll help you remember us. Brittany will be there too, so you can see her again, although it'll be like meeting us for the first time."  
  
Melissa felt an arm on her shoulder. She looked up into her mother's tear- streaked face.  
  
"Callie will be okay, sweetie," Mrs. Crochet said with a smile. "But it's time to go."  
  
Melissa looked down at Callie and stood up. With Brittany at her side, Melissa walked out of the room. 


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE  
  
Melissa woke up the next morning in a sweat. Her heart was racing as she looked at her alarm clock. 12:14. Mr. Crochet had probably already driven to the hospital to pick Callie up.  
  
In just ten minutes, Melissa was downstairs. She kissed her mom and asked, "Did Dad go to pick up Callie already?"  
  
"Just a few minutes ago," was her mother's answer.  
  
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Melissa rushed to the door and saw Brittany waving at her.  
  
"Sorry I'm so early," Brittany said as she stepped through the doorway. She looked around curiously and asked, "Do you think I should be here while your sister comes home? I don't want to barge in on anything."  
  
"Oh, you're fine," Melissa said to her. "It's Josie and Erica that's bothering me. They wouldn't think twice about Callie coming home. You know them."  
  
Brittany nodded-and jumped as the door hit her back. Gasping, she moved away from the door.  
  
"Dad! Callie!" Melissa rushed to her sister and father and hugged her dad. She was about to hug Callie, but she imagined what would happen if she did, so she stepped back. It felt weird to back away from her sister.  
  
"Who're they?" Callie asked, pointing to Melissa and Brittany.  
  
"I had to take lots of time convincing her that I was her father," Mr. Crochet explained. Callie was still staring at Melissa.  
  
"I'm your sister Melissa," Melissa said, sticking her hand out. But Callie drew back.  
  
"I don't have a sister," Callie said. Melissa felt very hurt.  
  
"And I'm Brittany," Brittany said cheerfully. Callie smiled and said, "I'm Callie. Dad, can I...um...do whatever it's called with Brittany?"  
  
"Play?" Melissa suggested. Callie beamed. "Yeah, that word. Hey, you want to...ply with us, Mel...is...a?"  
  
"Sure," Melissa said. She smiled at her father, and the three of them went outside.  
  
"Let's play a word game, Callie," Brittany said. Callie frowned and asked, "What's a word game?"  
  
Melissa opened her mouth and was about to say something mean, but then she remembered that Callie couldn't remember anything at all.  
  
"A word game," Brittany explained, "Is when we teach you words, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Callie said. Melissa smiled. Her sisters was healing. 


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Melissa poked at her potatoes with her fork, not caring that she wasn't eating. She couldn't eat, what with Callie asking so many questions- questions that a three-year-old would ask.  
  
"Honey, what's wrong?" Mrs. Crochet asked, staring at Melissa. Callie, too, was looking at her, and for a moment Melissa thought that the Callie sitting in front of her was the warm, carefree Callie that she had known. But deep down inside Melissa knew that Callie would never be the same.  
  
After dinner, Melissa called Brittany and invited her over to watch a movie with her. Brittany gladly accepted the invitation and was at the Crochet's doorstep in five minutes.  
  
Melissa ran for the door, but Callie flung it open and squealed, "Hi, Brittany! We're watching a moo-y, right, Melissa?"  
  
"So I see," Brittany said, walking into the living room. But Callie leaped in front of her.  
  
"No!" Callie screamed. "I have to tell you that you can come in, okay? You can't just bar...bar...barge in, Brittany."  
  
"Uh...okay." Brittany obediently stepped back, looking at Melissa, who smiled and sat on the couch. Brittany's face was red from embarrassment as Callie said, "Okay, come in now."  
  
Brittany plopped down beside Melissa and asked, "So what are we watching?"  
  
"I'm going to let Callie pick, Brittany," Melissa said, eyeing her friend. Brittany gave Melissa a Look.  
  
"Here it is!" Callie screeched, rushing in and shoving the video case into Melissa's surprised face.  
  
"Okay, Callie. What have you got there, sis?" Melissa took the video from Callie and read the title aloud. "The Fox and the Hound."  
  
"It's about a fox and a hound, right?" Callie asked, popping the tape into the VCR.  
  
Melissa looked at Brittany and shrugged. The girls were in the middle of the movie when the phone rang. It turned out that Brittany had to go home.  
  
"See you tomorrow!" Melissa yelled.  
  
"See you to...more...oh!" Callie echoed.  
  
Brittany waved to her friends and ran off. With a sigh of relief, Melissa shut the door.  
  
Then a ear-splintering scream filled the house. 


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
"What is it, Melissa?" Callie asked. Melissa's screams died down as she opened the door and closed it again. Her forefinger was red and swollen from being shut on.  
  
"Callie, get me some ice, please!" Melissa gasped, plopping onto the couch.  
  
"What's ice?"  
  
"It's cubes in the freezer."  
  
"What's a freezer?"  
  
"Never mind. I'll get it." Melissa realized that the more she explained, the more questions Callie would ask. Teeth clenched tightly, Melissa retrieved a bag of ice from the freezer and laid it on her sore finger.  
  
And all the while Callie just stood there, watching, a confused expression on her face.  
  
Ring, ring, went the phone later that night.  
  
Melissa rolled over sleepily and grabbed her phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Melissa? It's Brittany," said the voice on the other end of the line.  
  
"Oh, hi, Brittany. What's up?" Melissa asked, sitting up. She looked over at Callie. Good. Her twin was sound asleep.  
  
"Can I spend the next couple of weeks at your house?" Brittany asked.  
  
"Weeks?" Melissa repeated.  
  
"Yeah," Brittany replied. "My parents are really, really high. They were on rampage when I got home from your house, and bottles were strewn all over the place. And you know how bad my parents can get. When they get high it makes them more addicted to the stuff, so they're always high for about a month. And right now I'm in my room-did you hear the shouting and banging? - And I need to get someplace else. I'm already packed up."  
  
"Sure." Melissa said, glad to help her friend.  
  
"Great! I'll be right there!" Brittany hung up and so did Melissa. Quickly, she pulled sweats over her pajamas and went out on the porch to wait for her friend. The night air was chilly, and her toes were frozen, even though she had slippers on.  
  
Melissa waited and waited, but Brittany never came. Since Brittany lived far enough to where you couldn't see if she was coming or not, Melissa decided to go inside and phone her house.  
  
Nobody answered.  
  
Melissa began to get scared. She decided to go up to Brittany's house and see what was keeping Brittany. So she grabbed a flashlight and headed up the street. The neighborhood was quiet, and Melissa could only hear the crunch of the snow under her shoes.  
  
Melissa reached Brittany's house and looked around the yard. Nothing. Then she spotted something. It was medium-sized and skinny. Curiously, Melissa peeked closer-and screamed with fright. 


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX  
  
"Brittany!" Melissa rushed over to her friend and kneeled beside her. No wonder she didn't show up at the house, Melissa thought. She looked around the street. Nobody was there. And Melissa knew that she couldn't run inside from what Brittany had told her earlier.  
  
What should she do? She couldn't leave Brittany here. What if the man came back?  
  
There was only one thing to do. Melissa heaved Brittany's motionless body onto her shoulders and walked along the road. She felt something cold on her nose. Snow! Quickly, Melissa rushed into her house and shouted, "Mom! Dad!"  
  
"What? What is it?" Melissa's parents ran down the stairs with Josie, Erica, Rachel, and Callie behind them. Melissa's family stopped short when they saw Brittany.  
  
"I'll call an ambulance. Set her down in the living room for the time being." Mrs. Crochet ran to the phone while Melissa sat by her friend's side. Tears welled in her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" a voice asked. Melissa looked up to see Rachel, Josie, and Erica standing above her. Melissa realized that Rachel had spoken. Rachel, of all people!  
  
"I-I don't know. She called earlier and asked to stay for a few weeks because her parents were fighting, and I said yes. But when she didn't show up, I went up to her house and found her lying in the snow." Melissa was really crying now. She couldn't believe it. First her sister, now Brittany!  
  
"The ambulance is on its way," Mrs. Crochet announced, coming into the room. Suddenly, she motioned for Melissa to come over to her. Before Mrs. Crochet could open her mouth, Callie pointed to Brittany and asked, "Who's she?"  
  
Melissa gaped at her sister and asked, "Don't you remember, Callie? That's Brittany, your friend."  
  
Callie shook her head.  
  
"That's what I need to speak to you about," Mrs. Crochet said sadly, "Melissa, Dr. Morris spoke to your father and said that every night Callie loses her memory again. There's no use introducing yourself or teaching her things because the next day, she'll forget all about it."  
  
"But it's not the next day," Melissa said. "It's five o' clock in the morning."  
  
"Obviously, her memory already got wiped out," Mrs. Crochet said. She looked at her daughter and said, "I'm sorry, Melissa."  
  
"The ambulance is here!" Josie announced.  
  
"Mom, can I ride in the ambulance with Brittany?" Melissa asked. Mrs. Crochet nodded, and soon Melissa was in the back of the ambulance with Brittany and a couple of doctors. But soon Melissa wished she hadn't asked to come along. The doctors did gross tests and drew some blood. She was relieved when She was sitting in the hospital room with Brittany in the bed next to her chair.  
  
Soon, the rest of Melissa's family arrived. Melissa held Brittany's hand and talked to her, just like she had done with Callie. Within three hours, Dr. Morris said that Brittany was murdered and had been hurt in the arm. Melissa knew whom the killer was-the same person who had hurt Callie. It just had to be. 


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Brittany's eyes fluttered open. She looked over to her right-and was surprised to find herself in a hospital room with Melissa and Callie sitting beside her.  
  
"Melissa, what happened to me?" Brittany asked, sitting up on her elbow. She gasped and lay back down, glaring at her arm.  
  
"You never came to my house after calling me, so I went up to your house and found you lying in the snow." Melissa looked at her friend.  
  
"I remember calling you and I remember walking down my driveway, but I don't remember anything after that." Brittany said.  
  
"That's because you were stabbed in the arm. Do you remember anybody coming up to you?"  
  
"A black figure came to me, but then he hit me and I blacked out."  
  
Melissa nodded and looked over at Callie. Her twin was inspecting her chair. Brittany frowned. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"Her memory gets erased every night, so she doesn't remember anything that we taught her yesterday." Melissa smiled at Brittany.  
  
"Does she remember me?" Brittany asked. Melissa shook her head, and suddenly Dr. Morris appeared.  
  
"I'm pleased to say that Brittany is in fine condition, despite her arm. But I may remind you that Callie has to come in for a shot tomorrow."  
  
Melissa smiled at Brittany, who was let free of the hospital.  
  
The next day, Brittany came over after breakfast. With a smile, she entered the room and smiled at Melissa. Melissa smiled back and then gasped in surprise as somebody grabbed her neck. 


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
Melissa gasped for air and threw the hands off of her neck. She turned around and glared at her attacker: Callie  
  
"What were you thinking?" Melissa shouted. Callie grinned and replied, "Hey, I'm just jo...joke...joking with you, sis."  
  
"Come on, Brittany," Melissa muttered, grabbing her friend's wrist and yanking her up the stairs. Melissa shut her bedroom door and turned to Brittany.  
  
"We've got to talk about Callie," Melissa said.  
  
"What about her?" Brittany asked. Melissa rolled her eyes. "Hello? She nearly choked me to death!"  
  
"Oh?" Brittany said, glaring at Melissa. "You call being choked 'death'? What about me? What about Callie? I got stabbed in the arm and your sister got stabbed in the head and got her darn brains ruined! And you call getting choked 'death'? Look in the past and see what being close to death is really like."  
  
Melissa stared at her friend. Who was Brittany kidding?  
  
"Okay, Brittany, calm down. Look, I was kidding. I'm sorry about your arm. There's a murderer after me and we have to stop him."  
  
"After you?" Brittany asked. "He attacked Callie and I and you think he's after you? Why would he be after you?"  
  
"He attacked my sister and he attacked my best friend. You and Callie all trace over to me."  
  
"Brittany!" Josie called, "You have to go home!"  
  
"I'll call you tonight if my parents are causing trouble, okay?" Brittany said, heading out Melissa's bedroom door.  
  
"I'll come pick you up and knock on the door," Melissa offered. Brittany smiled. "Okay."  
  
Brittany headed down the stairs-and let out a bloodcurdling scream. 


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE  
  
"What's the matter, Brittany?" Melissa yelled, racing down the stairs and out the door. She gasped. Not far up the street were the bodies of Josie, Erica, and Rachel, lying facedown on the street.  
  
"Mom! Dad!" Melissa raced inside, dragging Brittany with her. While Melissa's parents investigated the bodies, Melissa dragged Brittany into her room.  
  
"What do you think happened?" Brittany asked.  
  
"I think it was the guy who got you and Callie," Melissa answered, smiling. Brittany looked at her and grinned. "You're not thinking-"  
  
"Yes, I am," Melissa said.  
  
"You're going with it?" Brittany asked.  
  
"And so are you."  
  
"Oh, no way!"  
  
"Yeah, Brittany. You and I are going to take down that man."  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Brittany muttered. Then she smiled. "Okay. Let's bring this on, girl."  
  
"Great!" Melissa smiled.  
  
We're going to get him, Melissa thought. We're going to catch him no matter what! 


	10. Chapter Ten

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE KIND REVIEWS. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THIS IS MY FIRST FANFICTION STORY ON GOOSEBUMPS. I KNOW THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT, BUT PLEASE BARE WITH ME  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
  
For a while, Melissa and Brittany talked about how to track down the person who was hurting Melissa's family. By the time they were finished, Melissa's mom called them downstairs.  
  
"Any news, Mom?" Melissa asked as she and Brittany trotted down the stairs.  
  
"I'm afraid the worst has happened," Mrs. Crochet told the girls. Melissa gaped at her. "You mean-"  
  
"They're gone!" Mrs. Crochet finished. Her eyes welled with tears. "Your father already called me. The funeral is next week."  
  
Melissa didn't feel too sad. She had barely even known her sisters, let alone had spoken to them.  
  
"I think I should go home." Brittany said. With a wave to Melissa, she slipped out the door.  
  
Melissa silently went to her room and slammed the door. She was surprised to find Callie sitting on her bed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Melissa asked. Callie just smiled. Melissa looked closer, into her sister's face. Callie's eyes seemed to be dancing with pride.  
  
Melissa looked Callie up and down-and stared at a dark red trail running down Callie's shirt. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
"Callie, what have you done?" Melissa screamed. With a roar, Melissa jumped onto her sister.  
  
"Stop it!" Callie yelled, "Get off me!"  
  
"You killed them, didn't you?" Melissa accused.  
  
"Huh?" Callie said.  
  
"You killed them!" Melissa screeched, "That's blood on your shirt, Callie, and you know it!"  
  
"What is going on here?" A voice demanded. Melissa hopped off of her sister and stared into her parent's angry faces.  
  
"She attacked me!" Callie screamed, pointing to Melissa. "That girl attacked me! And I don't know who she is!"  
  
"Melissa, what were you thinking?" Mrs. Crochet asked. Melissa didn't answer. Instead, she glared at Callie.  
  
"You know Callie doesn't remember you!" Mrs. Crochet said.  
  
Melissa looked at Callie. The red stain, she saw, dripped down to the waistband of her jeans.  
  
"Look at that red stain, Mom!" Melissa exclaimed. "Look at her shirt!"  
  
"Stop blaming things on Callie, Melissa!" Her mother snapped. "Calm down, both of you. It's too late in the morning to go to bed, so get dressed." Mrs. Crochet stomped out of the room, followed by her husband.  
  
With a glare at her sister, Melissa stomped out, too. She just knew that the stain on Callie's shirt was blood. She just had to have been the killer. She just had to be. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
"Okay, so you're saying that Callie killed your sisters?" Brittany shook her head. "I hate to say this, Melissa, but you've gone totally psycho!"  
  
It was Monday, the day after Josie, Rachel, and Erica's death. Brittany and Melissa were alone in the Crochet's backyard. Melissa was trying to explain things to Brittany, but it wasn't going so well.  
  
"Brittany, I'm serious! Look at this!" Melissa held up the shirt that Callie had been wearing the day before.  
  
Brittany looked dumbfounded. "You took your sister's shirt? Ew."  
  
"Brittany, this stain is blood! This is proof that she did it!"  
  
Brittany looked closer. Indeed, the blotch did look a lot like blood.  
  
"Are you sure it's not pizza sauce or anything?" Brittany asked, straightening up.  
  
"It's been washed, and we haven't had pizza since last month!"  
  
"Okay, okay," Brittany said, rolling her eyes. "Sheesh! Maybe it was Callie, maybe it...Melissa, it couldn't have been her! Think about it. Obviously, the person that killed your sisters was the same person who stabbed Callie and me. And Callie wouldn't stab herself, especially in the head!"  
  
"You're right," Melissa sighed. "It wasn't her after all. But who could it be?"  
  
The girls looked at each other, but none of them said a word. It looked like Melissa would have to solve this mystery by herself. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
Later that night, Melissa was in bed, thinking of all the possibilities. It could have been Callie, Melissa thought. Maybe she stabbed herself. Maybe-  
  
The ringing phone awakened Melissa out of her thoughts.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"What's up? It's Brittany. Uh, Melissa, can you come pick me up? My parents are on rampage again and I'm not walking down to your house after what happened."  
  
"I know you wouldn't," Melissa told her. "So, yeah, I'll pick you up. Stay inside, okay? Look through a window or something and come out when you see me." Melissa hung up; pulled on three sweatshirts and a pair of sweatpants, grabbed her car keys, and headed outside toward her blue Chevy. The night air swirled around her like a deep snowstorm. Without hesitation, Melissa scrambled into her truck and started the engine.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Melissa realized that the engine wouldn't start. She'd have to walk up by herself.  
  
Walking through the snow, Melissa looked back every few seconds to make sure she wasn't being followed. When she reached Brittany's house, Brittany came tearing out of the door.  
  
"Why'd you walk?" Brittany said, "You could have been stabbed like me!"  
  
"My engine wouldn't start," Melissa told her as the two walked down the street. Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the darkness. Melissa gasped. She looked at the person-and found herself staring into Callie's face.  
  
"Uh, hey, Callie," Melissa stammered. "What b-b-brings you h-here?"  
  
"I have a question for you, Melissa," Callie breathed. "How come you're up here so late at night?"  
  
"I don't know how you can remember my name, Callie," Melissa sneered. "Seeing as you have brain tumor."  
  
"Ha!" Callie exclaimed. "That was an act, Melissa. A clever, scheming act."  
  
Melissa stared at Callie. She's crazy, Melissa thought.  
  
"NO!" Melissa shouted. "Callie, you are so mixed up. Come on. I'll take you back to the house and we can all go to sleep, okay?"  
  
"No way," Callie said, taking a step toward Melissa. "I'm not going back, sis. Not until I do what I came for."  
  
Melissa looked at Brittany, whose wide eyes were the size of beach balls.  
  
"She absurd," Brittany whispered to Melissa. "I think she's lost way too much of her brain."  
  
Melissa looked at Callie. What's wrong with you? Melissa thought, staring into her sister's eyes. Is this the true Callie that I love? Or are you the person that's brought so much hurt into our family? 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Melissa gasped and raised her hands to her face. Before she could scream, she heard Callie's wail of terror. Lowering her hands, she saw Callie's neck being covered by a pair of hands. Looking around, she saw that Brittany was choking Callie.

Melissa smiled. With a flourish, she lunged for her sister's ankles.

"Girls, what are you doing?" A voice called. Brittany let go of Callie and turned. Mrs. and Mr. Crochet were standing down the street, glaring at Brittany and their daughters. Instantly, Callie began her act.

"Mom! Dad! Those girls tried to kill me! I was looking for this girl-" Callie motioned to Melissa "-And they tried to choke me!"

"Give it up, Callie," Melissa growled. "This isn't going to work this time." Callie grinned at her sister. "Just wait and see, Melissa. You and Brittany aren't going to live. I'm getting you back. I'm going to get you both!"

"But _why_?" Melissa cried angrily. "Why are you doing this to us? What's your secret, Callie?"

"Girls, come on! Get down here!" Mrs. Crochet interrupted. Sighing, Melissa headed down the street with Brittany beside her. Callie looked at the girls with a smug face. You'd better get walking, Callie thought. Because this is going to be your last walk down this street. I guarantee you that.

The next morning, Melissa woke up with thoughts of the night before. Her sister walking toward them...Brittany choking Callie...it was all too real.

"Oh, good," A voice said, "You're up."

Melissa looked up at Callie and said, "Don't, Callie. Don't!"

"Not now," Callie told her. "You'd better enjoy today, Melissa. You and Brittany both." With that, she turned and headed out of the room.

"Huh? What did I miss?" Brittany awoke and looked at Melissa, who said grimly, "Callie just came in and said that we'd better enjoy today. Brittany, I just can't believe it. My own sister wants me dead!"

"Calm down," Brittany told her. "We have to get her. We have to stop her." Melissa sighed and said, "I just don't know. I can't believe she wants to kill us! Why?"

Brittany shrugged. Melissa looked at her, hopped out of bed, raced out the door-and gave a huge scream.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"What? What is it?" Brittany was up and out of bed in ten seconds. She ran to her friend. Then she, too, screamed.

Callie was standing on the staircase below, a long knife in her hand. She grinned up at Brittany and Melissa.

"MOM! DAD!" Melissa screamed. Callie looked up at her with a smile.

"They're gone," Callie said simply, heading up the staircase.

"Huh?" Melissa asked, starting to back up. Too late. Callie was now standing in front of the two girls. Wait a minute. Two? Melissa looked around. No. Not two girls. One. Where was Brittany?

"Brittany!" Melissa shrieked, looking around. She glared at Callie. "You killed her. You killed her!"

"No," Callie told her. "Not yet. She hid. She hid from me."

"Duh," Melissa grumbled. "Where are Mom and Dad, Callie? Where are they?"

"I killed them," Callie said, grinning. "I didn't want any witnesses. Not for you. Not for anybody."

"I don't understand!" Melissa wailed, breaking down in tears.

"Look," Callie said, "I don't have time for this. I-I-"Suddenly, Callie dropped to her knees and gasped. The knife fell from her hand. Melissa looked down at Callie, who was lying facedown.

"Melissa-are you okay?" Brittany asked, running up to her.

"I'm fine," Melissa told her. "But Callie..." She gestured to her sister. Brittany looked at Melissa. "I'm so sorry."

"I am, too," Melissa admitted.

"You are? Why?"

"I'm an orphan now. She killed Mom and Dad, and I asked what this was all about and then she got knocked out because-"

"Of me," A voice said. Melissa turned to see May, staring at Callie.

"May!" Brittany shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

May didn't answer. Instead, she gripped the frying pan in her hand and aimed it at Brittany. She missed.

"May, what are you doing?" Brittany asked, standing up.

"I saw everything," May told her. "You were suspecting the wrong person the entire time."

"We-we what?" Brittany asked. May swiped the pan at her again. Brittany easily dodged it.

Melissa stared at May. Was May right? Had the girls suspected the wrong person?

What had really happened?


	16. Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"May, what is going on?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah, what?" Melissa asked. May stood before them, breathing hard. She dropped the pan and tears welled in her eyes.

"May? May!" Brittany rushed over to her sister and put her arm around her. Melissa just stood there, staring silently.

"What happened to you?" Brittany asked.

"I don't know," May hiccupped. "I-I..."

"You tried to kill me!" Brittany finished. May nodded.

"CALLIE, NO!" Melissa screamed as Brittany and May blacked out. Callie stood behind them, a smile on her face. She turned to Melissa.

"Now it's your turn," Callie told her quietly. Melissa stammered, "Callie, what's happening? First you tried to kill us, then May, then you."

"I can explain that," Callie told her, picking up the knife. She turned it over in her palm and gazed at it as she spoke.

"May and Brittany haven't been getting along," Callie told Melissa. Callie looked at her sister. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she continued.

"It was May!" Callie continued. "May stabbed me! She stabbed Brittany! She told me to lie to you or else she'd kill me. I didn't have a choice, Melissa."

"But your brain-"

"An act," Callie sobbed. "I told you-it was an act!"

"But you said that when you were-um-trying to kill us. And just now you made May and Brittany black out."

"May's the culprit, not me," Callie protested.

"Then why did you make Brittany black out as well?" Melissa demanded.

"I needed to talk to you alone," Callie answered. "She'll recover, Melissa. I promise. But May...She did all of it! She's the one who killed Erica, Josie, and Rachel. She tried to kill me a couple of times. And then..."

"Then what?"

"She made me pretend that it was me!" Callie said. "After she stabbed me, she made me promise. And tonight...tonight she came to kill you and Brittany because you were witnesses. She didn't want any witnesses, Melissa. The gash in my head wasn't deep enough for memory loss. I acted like that. And when I got out of the hospital, she made sure that there were no witnesses. Mom, Dad-I didn't kill them. May did this!"

"So," Melissa said slowly, "What you're saying is that May stabbed you and Brittany, and she threatened you to pretend you suffered memory loss? You expect me to believe that May did this?"

"Yes!" Callie sobbed, gazing at Melissa. "Please, sis. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Melissa told her. Suddenly, a groan filled the air. Brittany was awake.

"What happened?" Brittany asked. When she saw Callie, she stepped back. Callie quickly dropped the knife.

"It's okay," Melissa told Brittany.

"You sure?" Brittany asked.

"No," A voice rasped. Brittany whirled around and stepped back.

May stood in front of the three girls, the pan raised, ready to attack.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Stop, it, May," Melissa said. "We know what happened-what really happened. You did all of it, May. Didn't you?"

"I had no choice!" May yelled, dropping the pan. Her eyes were flashing. "I hated Brittany. I wanted to kill her so badly! But you guys got in the way. I thought up a plan. First, I stabbed Callie. I made her pretend that she suffered memory loss. If I didn't threaten her, she would have told you my plan.

"Second, I stabbed Brittany just to even things up a bit. I knew that Melissa would be heartbroken-and she was." May smiled. Brittany stared at her, tears running down her face.

"When Melissa went to pick up Brittany after she healed, I urged Callie to follow you and act like the person who was about to kill you. I watched her just to make sure she did it."

"So you made us believe that it was Callie who did all of this," Melissa put in.

May grinned. "Exactly. So when I had you two really suspecting her, I went a little further and made Callie stand at the steps with a knife, pretending she was on to you. That really got you two fired up, didn't it?" She added, glancing at Melissa and Brittany.

Why is she confessing? Melissa wondered.

"Don't call the cops," May whispered. "I only confessed because I know that you won't be telling anybody about any of this." With that, May grabbed the pan and whacked Brittany in the face. Then she grabbed the knife and drew a deep gash down Brittany's stomach. She turned to Melissa and Callie, who backed away.

And as May drew closer, Melissa realized that May was right.

She was going to die.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

"May, stop it!" Melissa shrieked. "Stop it!"

May drew closer, so close that Melissa could feel May's breath.

"What do you want from me?" Melissa asked, grabbing a knife as she backed into the counter. She looked around-and spotted Callie on the phone. She was calling the police!

"CALLIE!" Melissa shrieked. "CALLIE, NO!"

Callie uttered a nod as she hung up. She shrieked in surprise as May approached her.

"Oh, no," Melissa muttered, burying her face in her hands. "Oh, no."

She wouldn't be worrying if she knew what Callie had planned. As May stepped up to Callie, Callie said softly, "Surprise."

Then, with a fast motion, Callie swiped at May, who uttered a low groan and fell to her knees. Melissa was breathing hard-but panicked when she heard the sirens of police cars.

"Is she-"Melissa started, but Callie nodded, dropped her weapon, and started to explain things to the two policemen that had come into the house. Melissa shook her head. What's the use? Melissa thought, shaking her head. They're not going to believe us.

With a sigh, Melissa started to tell her story, knowing that the blue-uniformed officer was never going to take her words.

**THIS IS NOT THE END. I KNOW THE STORY IS LONG BUT FOR ALL OF YOU SATISFIED READERS, THERE ARE MORE CHAPTERS TO COME! I WILL UPDATE VERY SOON. I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED STRANGE HAPPENINGS. I HOPE YOU READ THE REST AND I HOPE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO MORE OF MY CHILLING GOOSEBUMPS TALES**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN 

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the policeman said to Melissa. "But what you're saying just can't be true."

"But it is!" Melissa protested. The policeman, whose nametag read Barry Thorough, shook his head and looked at his partner.

Melissa had talked to the police (as had Callie), but both girls had had to be taken down to Shadyside Police Station "for further questioning", as the officers had put it. Now Melissa sat in a small private room, sitting silently in a straight-backed chair. She wasn't handcuffed, thank goodness, but the situation reminded her of one of those killer movies like _The Bourne Supremacy, _where people were handcuffed and hooked to chairs and were sometimes shot. But she was a regular teen, caught up in one of her friend's sister's crazy scandals.

"You expect us to believe that a girl, your friend, made your sister act like she had memory loss and told her to act like she wanted to kill you?"

"Yes!" Melissa said, sighing. Why wouldn't they believe her? She was telling the truth.

Melissa looked over at the room beside her. It looked like Callie wasn't having much luck, either. She was-

"Uh, uh, uh," A security officer beside her tsked-tsked and shook his finger at her. Melissa turned away so that he wouldn't see her roll her eyes. But hey, she thought, it's better than having a gun pointed at your forehead.

"So what did they say to you?" Callie asked, shifting to the side. The two girls were on their beds, talking about their questioning. It turned out that the officers hadn't believed Callie, either.

"Asked me to explain what happened," Melissa sighed. "Just like you."

Callie nodded.

"Um, Callie," Melissa stammered. "Why...uh, why did you let May do that to you?"

Now it was Callie's turn to sigh. "I told you, Melissa. She was going to kill me if I didn't. She even got close to pulling the gun trigger a couple of times."

Melissa stared at the bedspread, remembering Brittany. Her friend. Her absolute best friend since they were both in diapers.

Yes, Brittany was dead. The night that May killed her, she was rushed to the hospital. Melissa waited in the waiting room all night. Finally, a doctor came out and announced that Brittany had died. Melissa barely had the strength to walk home and sleep a couple of hours before the policemen had come to the door and taken both her and Callie to the station for questioning.

Melissa sighed and sat still as Brittany filled her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, when a crash sounded through the house. She glanced up and saw that Callie was nowhere to be found.


	20. Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Callie!" Melissa screamed, racing down the stairs. "Callie, where are you?"

"Oh. Sorry, Melissa. Did I scare you?" Callie emerged from the kitchen, holding an iron pan. The pan, Melissa saw, was cracked.

"I dropped a darn pan," Callie explained. "I was going to fix tortilla soup and cornbread, but..."

"That's okay," Melissa told her. "We'll get take out."

"I don't believe all that's happened to us!" Melissa groaned. "We live in Shadyside but not on Fear Street, yet we still get bad luck."

"I guess," Callie murmmered. Melissa didn't hear her. She gazed, teary-eyed, at the blurry sky. We're going to be okay, she thought. I know we are.


End file.
